Today, Alberta is home to a very rich and diverse art
scene, including
some of the most well-known and respected visual artists Canada has
produced. However,
it was not always that way.

In the 1920s, Alberta was sparsely populated and
considered by many to be an isolated province. At this juncture in its history, many artists had no desire to move to Alberta, as they
perceived it to be a cold and uninhabited land that was inconvenient
to get to. Due to these misconceptions, the arts were very slow to advance
in Alberta. The community was comprised of very few arts organizations and
on the rare occasion that an art
exhibition was held, it was confined to a local library, school or store.

At first, visual art followers in the province looked to artists from
other countries, but by the 1930s, due to the
increase in professional art instruction and the formation of art
societies, such as the Alberta Society
of Artists, the appearance of visual art created by Albertans dramatically increased.

The growth of Alberta's visual arts community in the
past 60 years can be attributed to a few causes. The first is due to the
growth of educational institutions focusing on the arts. The creation of
schools such as the Banff Centre and
the Alberta College of Art and Design, have helped promote visual arts in Alberta, attracting the
attention of art instructors from all over the world. Another reason for
the growth, is the increased creation of art centres and galleries
throughout the province, allowing the public easier access and ultimately
promoting the culture and understanding of art to the general public.